How to Spring Clean Your Self-Care
Spring is almost here! After months of wintery weather, even those most dedicated to relieving stress in order to support their own mental wellness have been challenged by the chilly temps, snow days and possibly being unable to access their normal ways of taking time to for themselves.
Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, a spring day at the spa may not be an option, but you can still tweak your wellness habits in order to refresh your self-care for the new season.
The Beauty Routine
According to Nina Park, a CHANEL Makeup Artist whose clients include Zoe Kravitz and Kaia Gerber, you can take your face's fate into your own hands by transitioning your skincare and cosmetics routines.
Lighten Up Your Skincare
One easy thing to toss while cleaning out cabinets: last season's skincare. "Switch [face creams] from rich to lightweight," Park tells PEOPLE, explaining, "cold, dry winter months call for heavier creams, but I like to reset moisturizers for spring."
She also has similar advice for face makeup: "Time to put away fuller coverage foundations and bring out the sheer, breathable tinted moisturizers."
Shed Winter Skin
Park advises uses exfoliating facial treatments to slough off dull winter epidermis, saying, "I find that skin is especially dull in winter, because the colder season creates lack of moisture in the air and indoor heaters dry the skin out."
In her own routine, she relies on the dermaplaning device Dermaflash ("it does wonders by removing dead skin cells, making the skin smooth and radiant') and daily exfoliation with a chemical exfoliator (her choice: CHANEL Sublimage La Lotion Lumiere Exfoliante). "Saturate on cotton pads and pass over the face for glowing, younger-looking complexion," she says.
Embrace Spring Colors
Ditch winter cosmetics shades. Park recommends "trading in winter-rich reds and burgundy matte lipsticks for lustered bright orange-reds or vibrant pinks" to freshen up your makeup kit. "For spring, I love nothing more than fresh, clean skin, flushed cheeks and a bright lip stain."
New Do, New You
Celebrity hairstylist and Creative Director of Virtue hair care, Adir Abergel, whose clients include Jennifer Garner and Kristen Stewart, advises how to update your hair routine for a new season.
Cut and Color Your Hair
"Hair is your greatest accessory," Abergel tells PEOPLE. "Explore a new haircut, try bangs or a new color … Remember that hair always grows back."
Just as Park recommends going brighter with beauty products, Abergel advises that a new hue can also refresh your outlook. "Brighten up your color or go for a total switch-up… It's a fun way to freshen up your spring style. It's also a great way to enhance a new cut and explore your individuality."
Scrub the Scalp
"We all know to scrub our face but rarely do we give that kind of attention to your scalp," Abergel says. "With the change of season, I recommend an exfoliating scalp treatment to detoxify your scalp from any product build-up and impurities." (His personal recommendation: a once-a-week pass with Virtue's Exfoliating Scalp Treatment "to remove buildup and create cell turnover.")
What makes the product different than shampoo, Abergel says, is that it goes beyond cleansing hair to encourage cell turnover by lifting dry, aged cells from scalp hair follicles, "It removes build up, unclogs pores and optimizes follicles."
Tailor Your Haircare for the Season
"We talk about changing lipstick color from season to season, but we rarely think about changing hair care products," Abergel says. "In the winter season, your hair tends to be dry and needs more moisture, while in the spring or summer, you [might be] battling humidity and frizz. Look for products that target your seasonal hair concerns."
Embrace Hair's Natural Texture
If you've already been going low-key on hair maintenance due to, you know, never leaving the house, Abergel advises to keep it up. "Spring and summer are the perfect times to explore your hair's natural texture because it's when we spend more time outside."
Warmer weather is "more conducive for allowing air-dried styles," Abergel says. "There is also an incredible movement in the world where women and men are not having to manipulate new textures into their hair but instead are celebrating their natural texture."
Better Body
The author of Ritual Baths, Deborah Hanekamp — better known to clients such as Alicia Keys and Emma Roberts as "Mama Medicine" — gives her tips for a total body reset.
Take Some 'Me Time'
"Spring is the time of rebirth, that feeling of being able to get a fresh start," Hanekamp tells PEOPLE, advising that you celebrate by "[making] yourself a beautiful bath."
The author describes how to instantly update a soak by simply adding ingredients that include "a handful of fresh spring flowers like tulips, violets, cherry blossoms or forsythia, and a cup of salt, an amethyst crystal and one cup of oat milk." Don't let the list add to your stress, though: "If you don't have all the ingredients, don't worry! Just use what you have."
Go on Daily Outdoor Walks
After a winter cooped up indoors with nowhere to go thanks to the pandemic, this one may be a no-brainer, but it bears repeating: Time spent outdoors is good for the soul.
"Go for a walk outside every day for at least 45 minutes," advises Hanekamp. "Fresh air in our lungs and our feet on the ground are very important components of feeling well."
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